Lubricating device.



PATENTED DEC. 15, 1903-.

J. OLDENDORPH. LUBRIGATING DEVICE.

APPLIOATIOH FILED APR. 5. 1902.

N0 MODEL.

17/74 5255. 1 I win/raw Bi .5. I A \M W H rd? Q" v/70mm UNITED STATESPatented December 15, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

LUBRICATING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letteisiatnt No. 746,874, dated December1903- Applioatim; filed April 5, 1902. Serial No. 101,481. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, J OHN OLDENDORPH, acitizen of the United States, and a resident of Elizabeth, in the countyof Union and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Lubricating Devices, ofwhich the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to improvements in lubricating devices for bearingssuch as are used in the construction of high-speed machinery; but I donot limit myself to such use of my invention, as it may also be appliedto other usessuch, for example, as railroad: car journals.

My object is to provide a lubricating device which will constantly feedthe oil diagonally across the wearing-face of bearings by the combinedaction of crossed double-spiral grooves and a fiber sheet havingopenings providing crossed double-spiral strips fitting within thecrossed double-spiral grooves and having depending side flaps.- Theoil-feed being throughout from side to side of the brass or bushing inconverging and diverging paths, the grit will be carried through withthe oil.

My invention consists in the novel features of construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed.

In order that my invention may be fully understood, I will proceed todescribe it with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure 1 is a transverse section of a bearing-box, taken on the line 1 1of Fig. 2, showing my improved lubricating device applied to a shaft.Fig. 2 is in part a side elevation and in part a vertical longitudinalsection thereof, taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1, parts being brokenawayto readily show the construction. Fig. 3 is a plan view of one of myfiber sheets formed with crossed double-spiral strips in the bodythereof. Fig. 4 is a transverse section of a journal-box, showing myimproved lubricating device applied to a journal. Fig. 5 is a detailside elevation of the meeting edges of the lower and upper brasses orbushings and the upper part of the web of the lower member of thebearing box, showing the meeting edges of the brasses or bushings, the.open ends of the crossed double-spiral grooves, and the upper edge oftheweb over which the side flaps of the fiber sheets meet and from whichthey hang down.

Fig. 6 is a detail transverse section taken on the line 6 6 of Fig. 2,the fiber sheets being omitted, so as to show the meeting edges of thebrasses or bushings, thelaterally-extending open ends of the spiralgrooves, and the upper edges of the web over which the side flaps of thefiber sheets meet and from which they hang down.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, I show my lubricating device applied to abearing-box, where A is the lower member of a bearing-box having alongitudinal semicircular oil-cham her B and a longitudinal semicircularweb a, formed with vertical oil-ducts a in the base of the web a,leading to the oilchamber, B and leaving a space or opening a betweenthe upper edges of the weband the top of the lower memher A. Fittinginthe concavity of the low gitudinal web a is a'lower brass or bushing H,formedwith vertical oil-d ucts h, coinciding with the vertical oil-ductsa of the web 0.. The brass or bushing H is also formed with crosseddouble-spiral grooves G, open at the ends and sides of the brasses orbushings,

providing converging and diverging paths for the oil, the open ends 9 atthe sides of the groove G extending laterally through the brasses orbushings and connecting with the spacings or openings 0. at the upperedges of the webs a. Located above the lower brass or bushing H is anupper brass or bushing H, formed with crossed double-spiral grooves G,open at the ends and sides of the brasses or bushings and providingconverging and diverging paths for the oil, the open ends g at the sidesof the grooves G extending later ally through the brasses or bushingsand over the open ends g of the grooves G" of the lower brass or bushingH. The upper brass or bushing is also formed with vertical oil-ductsupper section D and secured by a series of bolts E to the lower sectionA of the bearingbox.

A I J Referring to Fig. 3, F is a fiber sheet formed in one piece,preferably of felt, having side flaps I and longitudinal extensions I.The body of this sheet has openings f, providing crossed double-spiralstrips f. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, I employ two of these fiber sheetsF, in which the lower fiber sheet has its crossed double-spiral stripsffitting in the crossed double-spiral oil-grooves G and open ends g ofthe lower brass or bushing H and its side flaps I extending through thespaces or openings a over the upper edges of the web a and downwardlyinto the oil-chamber B and projecting into the base of the latter, whilethe upper fiber sheet has its crossed double-spiral strips f fitting inthe crossed double-spiral grooves G and open ends g of the upper brassor bushing H and its'side' flaps I also extending through the spaces oropenings a over the side fiaps I ofthe lower sheet and downwardly intothe oil-chamber B and projecting into the base of the latter. 0 is ashaft mounted in the bearing-box and whose surface is lubricated andcleaned by the oil conveyed thereto by the crossed double-spiral stripsf.

Referring to Fig. 4, where I show my lubricating device applied to ajournal-box, A is a bearing-box having an oil-chamber B in the basethereof. Projecting into this bearing-box is a journal 0. Mountedbetween the journal 0 and the top of the journal-box A is abearing-block D, on which the journal-box is supported, having a brassor bushing H formed with crossed double-spiral grooves G and seating onthe journal 0. F is a fiber sheet having crossed double-spiral strips f,fitting in the crossed double-spiral grooves G and side flaps 1extending downwardly into the oil-chamber B.

An advantage of my improved lubricating device is that the oil forcedthrough the grooves by the revolution of the shaft or journal is therebyevenly fed to the whole surface thereof in converging and divergingpaths. The oil is carried by capillary attraction to the brasses orbushings, while any grit entering the bearing is carried downwardly bygravity and deposited in the oil-chamber. The fiber strips f within thegrooves prevent the too rapid feed of oil and its waste.

Incar-axle journals the grit mostly takes place at the outer edge; butwith my hearing it is not allowed to get between the metal surfaces atall, but is fed instantly into one channel or the other and led acrosswithout having a chance to get between the surfaces. The oil rushingthrough is ordinarily largely wasted. With a grooved surface broken upthe oil is fed back and forth, thoroughly lubricating the surface. Thiscould not be accomplished if the edges were closed, as there would notbe any conveying action. In a car-axle journal grit is carried up fromthe waste which presses under the journals. The edge of the brass orbushing where Babbitt metal is used will flake where there is a dryplace.

My lubricating device is particularly valuable on vertical boxes onaccount of retaining the oil, which ordinarily when a free fiow of oilis provided have to be provided with waste or wick below to hold in theoil and which at the same time prevents escape of grit.

It is important to make the fiber sheet all in one piece, for the reasonthat if the fiber be merely laid into the grooves in separate strands orstrings it will inevitably be forced out and lose its function, or itwill ball up in the grooves or in theangles of the grooves and interruptthe proper feeding operation of the oil and the even distribution ofpressure over the face of the bearings.

Having thus described my invention, the followingis what I claim as newtherein and desire tov secure by Letters Patent:

1. A lubricating device comprising a brass or bushing formed withcrossed double-spiral grooves having open ends in the sides of the brassor bushing, and a fiber sheet formed with openings providing crosseddouble-spiral strips fitting in the grooves and in the open endsthereof.

2. A lubricating device comprising a brass or bushing formed withgrooves having open ends in the sides of the brass or bushing and afiber sheet formed in one piece with openings providing strips fittingin the grooves and in the open ends thereof.

3. A lubricating device comprising a brass or bushing formed withgrooves having open ends in the sides of the brass or bushing and afiber sheet formed with openings providing strips fitting in the groovesand in the open ends thereof and with depending side flaps.

4:. A lubricating device comprising a bearing-box having an oil-chamber,a brass or bushing formed with crossed double-spiral grooves having openend-s in the sides of the brass or bushing and a fiber sheet formed withopenings providing crossed double-spiral strips fitting in the groovesand in the open ends thereof.

5. A lubricating device comprising a bearing-box having an oil-chamber,a brass or bushing formed with crossed double-spiral grooves having openends in the sides of the brass or bushing and a fiber sheet formed withopenings providing strips fitting in the grooves'and in the open endsthereof and with side flaps extending downwardly into the oilchamber.

6. A lubricating device comprising lower and upper brasses or bushingseach formed with crossed double-spiral grooves having open ends in thesides of the brasses or bushings and the fiber sheets each formed withopenings providing crossed double spiral strips fitting in the groovesand in the open ends thereof.

7. A lubricating device comprising a bearing-box having a lower memberformed with an oil-chamber, a web, a lower brass or bushing havingcrossed double-spiral grooves open at their ends and providingconverging and diverging paths, an upper member, an upper brass orbushing having crossed double-spiral grooves open at their ends andproviding converging and diverging paths, and lower and upper fibersheets having crossed doublespiral strips fitting in the crosseddoublespiral grooves and side flaps extending downwardly into theoil-chamber.

8. A lubricating device comprising a bear ing-box having a lower memberformed with an oil-chamber, a web, and spaces or openings between theupper edges of the web and the top of the lower member, a lower brass orbushing having crossed double-spiral grooves open at theirends andproviding converging and diverging paths, an upper member, an upperbrass or bushing having crossed double-spiral grooves open at their endsand providing converging and diverging paths, and lower and upper fibersheets having crossed double-spiral strips fitting in the crossed dou- 25 hie-spiral grooves and sideflaps extending through the spaces oropenings and down= wardly into the oil-chamber.

9. A lubricating device comprising a bearing-box having a lower memberformed with 30 an oil-chamber, a web having vertical ducts, a lowerbrass or bushing having crossed double-spiral grooves open at their endsand vertical ducts, an upper member having vertical ducts, an upperbrass or bushing having 35 crossed double-spiral grooves open at theirends, and vertical ducts, and lower and upper fiber sheets havingcrossed double-spiral strips fitting in the crossed double-spiralgrooves and side flaps extending downwardly 40

